Steven Universe: Heart of Glass
by elementalheroshadow
Summary: Set in an au starting after the zoo arc, another member of the original Crystal Gems has survived the diamond attack and made their way home. But so much has changed, both for them and in the world at large. Can they resolve their personal issues in order to help with the impending threat posed by the diamonds? T for a somewhat realistic level of swearing mostly.


"This place hasn't changed all that much, has it? Well, least I know where I'm going. I wish these humans would stop staring though. Just… don't make eye contact and you'll be ok. Deep breaths now."

On the outskirts of Beach City, a gem hurriedly makes their way down the sidewalk, eyes locked on the ground and heading for the last place they called home, shoulder-length curly black hair flowing behind them and framing light gray skin; the jet-black, seven-sided and four-faceted gemstone on their chin pointing downwards and gleaming in the early afternoon sun. Hands dig into pockets on the gem's black fleece jacket, sleeves rolled up to their elbows as they step off of the walkway, quickly sidestepping a couple of humans going the opposite direction and proceeding up a grassy hill. At the top of the hill however, upon spotting the temple, the gem stops, hesitating and fiddling with something in their pockets.

Well, hesitating is the polite way of putting what was going on. It was more of an anxiety attack.

"Oh… Oh stars, I... I don't know if I can do this…"

The pacing in circles starts, fingers digging into the gem's scalp as the muttering of all their negative thoughts continues, only every few sentences being intelligible and occasionally punctuated with slaps to the face.

"It's been so long. They won't… They won't WANT to see me. Especially like THIS. Would… they even…? No. They wouldn't even recognize me. And even if they did… Shatter me, this is stupid, this is STUPID… I'm… I'm not ready. I need… I-I need…"

The gem removes an object from one of their pockets, stroking it with their thumb. It seems to calm them a little bit, and they take a look around, realizing where exactly this hill is. To one side, down the beach is the temple, in slightly more disrepair than last time but still instantly recognizable, but on the other side of the hill…

"Wait, I know that spot. I was here… last time. Of course I'd end up on the same hill. Too ironic not to."

The gem sits down on the grass, sighing and emptying the contents of their pockets, carefully placing the objects onto the grass in front of them. As the gem's black eyes look down on the items in question, the fondness sparks a memory. A memory of the last time in this city. The last time… they'd seen another Crystal Gem. Their last conversation with their leader in a long time.

* * *

**Beach City, 20 Years Ago**

The night is warm and a cool summer breeze wafts off of the ocean. A grey skinned and slender gem glances over themselves in the reflection of the water near the boardwalk, checking their newly reformed appearance, smoothing the creases in their "clothing" and checking multiple angles of their reflection. The new "outfit" chosen features a mid-tone gray shirt with a large, prominent dark purple star in its center, outlined in pale rose with matching dark purple pants and a black sweater-jacket coming down to the gem's waist and black shoes. Brushing a strand of curly black hair from their face, they excitedly head up a nearby hill they know overlooks the temple, breaking out in a run. It's been millennia. _My friends are waiting_, they think smiling wide. _I can't wait to see them all; Biggs, Bizzy B, Garnet… Oh stars Garnet will LOVE the new me! I hadn't even thought of that! They must've have all missed me so much, I bet they'll be so excited to see me again!_

_**Or will they?**_

At the top of the grassy knoll, the gem stops in their tracks, suddenly paralyzed by overwhelming dread, eyes going wide.

"No. Not now…"

_**You're even more of freak now and you know it. Just admit it.**_

"You're nothing but intrusive thoughts, Rose said I don't have to listen-" The black gem covers where their ears would be, gripping tight and dropping to their knees.

_**They never REALLY loved you, you were just among your fellow freaks, mutants, and rejects. Where else would you be able to go after what you did? Off-color trash. Worthless fucking traitor. Deserter SCUM. Why else do you think no one came looking all these centuries? You weren't missed. You should just-**_

"Shut UP! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"

Lying on the ground, tears streaming down their face the gem rolls onto one side. As they sob, begging the voice to stop, voice gradually coming out weaker and weaker, they hear something that gives them pause.

"What… is that? Is that… music?"

Curiosity causes the gem to pull themselves upright weakly, and something about the song seems to be slowly pulling them from their depressive episode, uplifting music drifting up from what appears to be concert on the beach with nobody in attendance, the young human male onstage shredding a guitar and pouring his soul into his vocals.

"_I'll fly like a comet… Soar like a comet… Crash like a comet… I'm just a comet…"_

"How… How was no one here for this? This guy is really good." The gray-skinned gem wipes tears from their eyes. "One of the better human musicians I've heard in a long time." This was just the message I needed to hear right now, the gem thinks to themselves. Lighting up people's lives. That's what I've always strived for, especially after… Wait. Is that-?

The gem spots a familiar figure as they start down the hill. Her voice is barely audible compared to the previous volume of the music, but the quiet stillness of the night still makes it come in clear. And the leader of the Crystal Gems has a voice very easily recognized. The gem moves closer, trying to make out more of Rose Quartz's conversation with this young human while still remaining out of sight. As they move down the hill, a white folding table covered with stacks of t-shirts in various sizes and small plastic cases comes into view. Crouching, they take cover in some nearby bushes where the grass meets the sand, listening intently.

"Space Train to the Cosmos…"

"Yeah! _One way ticket and I'm ready to ri-ide!_"

Rose chuckles in that way she does, the way that somehow melts you and makes you feel at ease with the world. "How will you get back?"

"Back?" The human looks confused, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow, to which Rose smiles.

"Back to Earth."

The human leans back in his chair, brushing his long brown hair off his face and over his shoulder. "I'm NEVER coming back." He smiles cockily, arms behind his head.

"Oh! That's awful! This is your home." Rose looks mildly shocked, but then quickly becomes distracted, eying the shirts branded with the name Mr. Universe. She then moves onto the plastic cases, which are more clearly recognizable as CDs once held aloft.

"Uhh... you want that? You can have it..." The human gestures to the CD in her hand. The gem in the bushes stumbles slightly, causing a branch to snap. _Oh shi-_

"Hm?" Rose looks up slightly, though it's hard to tell if it was the sudden noise or because the human was talking to her.

"Oh, and it comes with a free T-shirt!" The human exclaims excitedly, rummaging around on the table. "You'll probably need a bigger one... I've got an extra, extra-large in my van! Stay right there!"

The gray-skinned gem, realizing Rose is likely to turn around and catch them spying, bolts up the hill at full sprint as soon as this "Mr. Universe's" back is turned.

Panting and wheezing, the gem pauses at the top of the hill.

"That… was close. I haven't had to run like that in… a long, LONG time."

"Then you should probably stop hiding in bushes."

This reply is accompanied by another familiar chuckle, causing a bristle along the gem's spine. There was no malice is the words, only a friendly sort of teasing, but still; they didn't want to turn and face her. Something had them frozen. A soft thud can be heard behind them, indicating Rose floating down to the ground, her dress and mass of curly pink hair settling as she does.

A loud gulp. "H-hey Rose. How've you been?"

"Aww come on. I have a REALLY strong hunch who I'm talking to, even if your voice is a bit different. And if I'm right… You definitely should turn around and give me a hug. It's been far too long. We've all missed you. We haven't seen you since the Diamond attack, we all thought-"

"Rose, I can't."

"Why not? I see by the new look you finally managed to shapeshift? I know you've always struggled with that so congratulations; I'm SO excited to see where you put the star." She laughs again. "Are you embarrassed about where you put the star? Now I HAVE to see it. Come on now. Turn around."

"It's… a bit more than that. Ok. I'll turn around. Slowly. Just… keep an open mind, ok?"

"Of course." She replies softly, and anyone could tell she wasn't the type to judge others just from those two words alone. Once face-to-face, Rose lets out an excited gasp, hands over her mouth before rushing to the skinnier gem and pulling them into a bear hug.

"YOU ACTUALLY DID IT! How? When? I can't believe it. Did it hurt? You look incredible! …Oh my STARS we need to show Garnet! She's going to be so-"

"I-I don't… know on that. I honestly wasn't even sure why I came back here now. I only recently managed to pull off this form and I'm… still not entirely sure who I am yet."

The pink gem's arms go slack as she releases the hug. She sits down on the grass, motioning for her companion to join her. The black gem takes a seat beside her, pulling up their knees and wrapping their arms around them. Rose turns toward them.

"You're the same gem you've always been; a kind, caring, loving friend. We all love you, and I know they'd want to see you again. What you look like doesn't hold any bearing on that. We both know that." She rests her hand sympathetically on her friend's shoulder.

The gray-skinned gem sighs, giving a weak smile. "I'm thankful you stopped hugging. You quartzes are too strong and you know how easily I poof." This elicits a chuckle from both of them.

"Yeah, I do. But back on topic: If you really feel like you need to get to know this new you, the others can wait on seeing you a little while longer. Considering how long we thought you were dead… I mean, I know how much they'd LOVE it if you came home tonight… but a little while longer shouldn't hurt too much more. Go. Travel this planet, explore all the beauty it has to offer. Discover yourself. Whenever you feel ready, you know where to find your friends."

Rose stands, looking in the direction of the temple. "I unfortunately need to go, but it was wonderful to see you again. I wish you the best of luck in your journey, and until we meet again."

"Yeah… I'll see you later Rose."

She leans down, giving another quick hug before turning around and leaping into the air, disappearing amongst the clouds. The black gem stands, walking down the hill and out of town, the starlight shining overhead.

_She's right. If I'm going to discover myself… I should see as much of this planet as possible. Maybe then, I can be comfortable in my own skin._

* * *

**Present Day**

Done with their reminiscing, the black gem gathers their scattered small items and scoops them back into their pockets. Courage newly gathered, they begin down the hill and back into town, muttering words of affirmation and self-encouragement as they pass by a few human businesses, the smell of fries and pizza mixing with the salty sea air as arcade machines noisily blare out a medley of 16-bit tunes. The steepness of the hill made the long way around the only feasible path, and soon enough the gray-skinned gem found themselves stepping off of the boards of the boardwalk and onto the sand. As they round the corner, passing what used to be a fenced off stretch of beach and heading towards scattered remains of the now run-down temple, an odd sight greets them.

A human child appears to be pacing the beach, deep in thought. The gem hesitates, confused as to what this human would be doing here_. Isn't the temple and surrounding area off-limits to non-gems? Rose may have loved humanity and befriended many a human but they were never allowed over here. This was our sanctum. Our base of operations._ The gem might have been mad if it was in their nature, but they just stand, staring from several yards away. The human pauses, seemingly noticing being stared at, and turns towards the gem, waving in a friendly fashion.

"Oh! Hello! Can I, uh, help you with something? You're just… kinda staring at me." He chuckles awkwardly, putting a hand behind his head. "Everything ok?"

The gem jumps slightly in place, startled. "I… I-Um, what are you doing here- No that, that's rude sorry. I mean I'm looking for someone. My friends. They used to live around here. Are there any gems still..?"

Their voice trails off, still not that used to talking to humans. However, thankfully, this child seems to take it in stride, stepping forward and extending a hand, still smiling warmly.

"Are you looking for the Crystal Gems? I can take you to them if you want."

"Oh- um, hand-holding won't be necessary, I'll be ok."

"No no, I was- oh never mind." He chuckles again. "Just follow me. My name's Steven by the way, what's yours?"

The two begin walking down the beach, making it a decent distance before Steven gets a response.

"It's um… Obsidian."

"Oh so you ARE a gem! I mean, the gray skin and your chin… I just didn't want to assume."

"That's… alright. Just lead me to the temple please."

"Sure thing, come on."

The pair continue along the waterfront, Obsidian lagging slightly behind to take in all the shattered pieces of the place that was once the Crystal Gem Temple; stone arms and hands protruding seemingly at utter random from the sand. _Has it really been so bad since The Diamonds attacked?_ The gem wonders wistfully. _This temple and its massive statuesque figure… they used to look incredible, awe-inspiring… So much for that I guess. Why has Bismuth not fixed this? She's never been one to just sit on her ass, what could have happened? Wait… is that… a human house at the base of the temple? What… What's been going on since I've been gone?_

Steven stops at the foot of a wooden staircase leading up to the dwelling, Obsidian following suit a short distance behind. The human turns to face the gem, gesturing for them to stop.

"You'd better stay outside until I tell the gems you're here. The last few times new gems showed up here… whew those are some _crazy_ stories. Best to give them some warning first. I'll call you in in just a sec, be right back."

Steven walks up the stairs and opens the door to the house, it soon closing audibly behind him. Obsidian takes a few steps and sits down on the stairs, facing away from the house; hand on knees and taking deep, calming breaths. The conversation happening behind them can barely be made out, the voices being muffled by distance and door, until… silence for a full three seconds. And then…

A loud crash, sounding like a plate shattering on a hard floor, followed by even more silence and the sound of the door opening and closing once more.

"Hey, Obsidian? You can come in now."

The gem rises and turns around, slowly taking the last few steps up the staircase. Steven smiles as they reach the door, opening it for them. Obsidian hesitates in the entryway, before taking a deep breath and stepping inside.

The inside of the human dwelling is very open, with a warp pad near the back wall, directly in front of the door to the inside of the temple. _Well,_ Obsidian thinks to themselves. _At least that's where I remember it being. Not everything has changed. I wonder if…_

The black gem's thoughts are interrupted however, by the voice of another old friend, having finished cleaning up the shattered pieces of the plate they'd presumably dropped a few moments prior.

"It… It really IS you. Garnet, I can't… I can't believe it."

Her voice comes out in a hushed tone, causing Obsidian to turn, finding a rail-thin pale-skinned gem with swept back light orange hair and an ovoid gem in the middle of her forehead covering her mouth with her hands, eyes wide with surprise and tears starting to form at their corners. The taller, curvier reddish-purple gem beside her just stands silently with her arms at her sides, staring from behind her visor, clearly stunned. Their forms may have changed significantly, but Pearl and Garnet are two beings that Obsidian could always recognize.

"I… Um… like what you've done with your hair Pearl-"

The sentence is cut short as Garnet approaches Obsidian and places a hand on their shoulder. The shorter gem starts shaking as they look up, Garnet tapping her visor, causing it to disappear. All three of her eyes are locked on Obsidian's black ones.

"H-hey Garnet. H-how's my favorite power coup-"

Obsidian attempts nervously to make a joke, but is soon silenced by what would be a bone-breaking hug if gems had skeletons. The gem lets out a wheeze from the sudden pressure.

"You don't need to joke. Just… We've… missed you so much. I thought… all these millennia…"

The usually stoic Garnet starts sobbing into the shorter gem's shoulder, causing Obsidian to awkwardly chuckle, the black gem starting to tear up as well.

"H-hey now. Here I was thinking Pearl would be the one crying. Don't make me start G…"

As Obsidian wraps their arms around Garnet, Pearl rushes over, throwing herself into the reuniting embrace, tears flowing from her eyes as well.

"Kn-knew she'd be crying too. Called that one."

"So, guys? Who is this? From all the crying I gotta assume another old-school Crystal Gem right?"

A rougher, medium-high voice comes from the direction of a nearby couch and Obsidian turns towards it. A short, very curvy purple-skinned gem with a low-cut white top showing off the chest placement of her gemstone lounges casually a few cushions away from Steven, clearly more slightly confused than moved by the scene in front of her. Steven just looks at her and shrugs.

"I could ask you the same thing." Obsidian half chuckles through the happy tears. "Never seen this Amethyst before. She new? I-I mean more Quartzes is always a useful thing, don't get me wrong. Nice to meet you."

Pearl lets go, though Garnet doesn't seem done holding their friend quite yet. She turns to Amethyst, wiping tears off her face.

"Right, sorry. Amethyst… This is Obsidian. She was another member of the original Crystal Gems, you had that right. Bismuth used to call her Snowflake, not sure why but the nickname just sort of stuck-"

"Pearl."

"Y-yes Garnet?"

Pearl swallows at the sudden seriousness of Garnet's tone. Garnet stands and turns around, visor reappearing. "You seem to be missing something." She states calmly.

The group turns to actually give their visitor a long, hard look, causing Obsidian to start fidgeting in discomfort at being made the center of attention. The gray-skinned gem's tall, somewhat slender form is more or less the same as Garnet and Pearl remember, choice of outfit and it's bearing their star aside, with a few noticeable exceptions. Mainly being; broader shoulders, a slightly narrowed waist, and a mildly more pronounced jawline, accentuated by the gemstone at its center. Pearl lets out a gasp, hand flying over her mouth. Amethyst goes bug-eyed, shouting in surprise and excitement, cutting her fellow Crystal Gem off.

"Obsidian are you-"

"You're a DUDE!"


End file.
